


Holiday

by sp00kworm



Category: GHOST - Fandom, Ghost (Sweden Band), Ghost (Swedish Band), Ghost BC
Genre: Baby Ghouls, Beach Holidays, Cute ghouls, Demon AU, Flirting, Fluff, Friendly Ghouls, Funny, Gen, Ghouls, Ghouls are Demons, Ghouls are Siblings, Ghouls are not human, Holidays, Humour, Lake Holiday, Pranks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-20
Updated: 2018-07-20
Packaged: 2019-06-13 11:18:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,548
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15363456
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sp00kworm/pseuds/sp00kworm
Summary: Papa Emeritus Nihil books a holiday for all the Clergy by a lake. The Ghouls are allowed to attend so long as they do not reveal their true natures to the public. Cowbell takes the opportunity to entertain himself with pranks.





	Holiday

Lake holidays were unheard of for a Satanic cult, so for the Grand Papa to fully fund one for the entire Clergy was astounding. Papa Nihil had sat the entire bus journey in the front cooing at the baby ghouls squirming in their little car seats, bouncing to try and peak out of the windows at the great vast woods all around them. The Papas were sat just behind their father, the eldest son asleep, snoring softly, the middle son chewing gum, a book open in his lap and the youngest loudly chatting with everyone around him. Cowbell sat towards the back of the bus, masked face looking out at the woods in wonder as well like the baby ghouls up at the front, his book long forgotten, still perched in his lap. His fingers fiddled with the edges of the pages of the book as he watched the foliage merge into a green blur as his vision locked onto a fleeting passing bird. Dark eyes glanced back inside the bus and around him. The other Ghouls spoke and joked with one another. Fire launched a paper ball across the bus at Water and the bass Ghoul hissed before launching a ball of water at the Fire Ghoul’s face. The water slapped against the fiery Ghoul’s mask with a slosh and Cowbell laughed with the other Ghoul’s as steam flew off Fire. Aether chortled, holding his belly as he watched Water launch more water bombs across at the water hating Fire Ghoul. Sizzling and hissing sounded as Cowbell looked back out of the window and smiled, closing his book to look back out of the window again.

The bus began to slow and the chatter aboard increased, Sisters of Sin gleefully chatting as they rolled into a clearing, the sun shining and sky cloudless. Cowbell’s ears perked up as he heard Papa Nihil and the Sister Imperator talking in the front of the bus, the Sister helping the elderly man to his feet. Cowbell tucked his book in his sash and carefully shimmed out of his seat to go and help the Grand Papa get up and off the bus. The Ghoul reached the front of the bus and pulled the old man’s oxygen tank off the top storage. The old man reached out a hand and Cowbell helped him up with a gentle pull. Nihil grunted as he stooped a little to fit in the low ceilings of the coach.  
“Thank you, Cowbell.” The old anti-pope walked down the small steps of the coach, greeting the Sister Imperator outside of the bus with a crooked smile, his face free of makeup, clad in normal clothes that made his form seem smaller and lithe. Cowbell trotted down the steps, oxygen canister and small bag of the old man’s essentials. He placed the trolley down on the ground next to Nihil and carefully placed the bag over the old man’s shoulder. Nihil thanked the Ghoul again before the Sister offered him an arm and the two sauntered off to their private accommodation.  
The Sister paused in her gait and turned back to the crowd that had climbed off the coach, “Feel free to enjoy yourself!” She gave a wave of her fingers and a grin as she turned back and tugged Nihil along.

Cowbell smiled under his mask and waved to the couple as his fellow ghouls stepped off the bus, all still clad in masks and typical robes. They were permitted to enjoy themselves, but not reveal their true identities.   
Earth hopped from foot to foot, hands behind his back as his wide eyes looked at the lush green wildlife around him, “I think I’ll go to the woods first after we’ve unpacked. I bet the squirrels will tell me all about what our resident womanizers get up to.” Earth ducked a slap to the head and laughed as Aether squawked, jumping as his ass was slapped viciously hard. Fire grumbled and held his hands up as a growling Aether turned around to glare at them. Water broke into fits of laughter as Aether and Fire began hissing in Ghoulish at one another, and Air chuckled reservedly next to the short Earth Ghoul.   
“Let’s get to the cabin first before you all outright destroy our anonymity.” Air picked up his own bags and walked down the dirt path, Earth happily chirping to him, following with his own bags. Cowbell left Fire, Aether and Water to their bickering match and followed the other two quietly with his own bags, not wanting to get dragged into a silly fight.

The Ghouls’ cabin was at the far end of the lake, away from the Papacy and the Sisters of Sin. Cowbell assumed it was due to both their secrets, but also an attempt to curb Aether and Fire’s extracurricular activities. The further they had to go the less likely they were to cause a disturbance. Cowbell felt his stomach rumble as he sat with the other Ghouls by the lake. They had been allowed to remove their robes under strict orders to keep their tails tucked out of sight and visage of human skin up. Cowbell watched Water file his nails with mild interest, flicking his own toes in the water of the lake from his little perch on the small pier. Water signalled him over and Cowbell grumbled, pulling his legs out of the cool water, plodding over to the Water Ghoul and flopping down in the sand.  
“Jesus, Moo, do you ever look after these?” Water presented Cowbell’s chewed pointed nails to him.  
Cowbell shrugged blushing at the silly nickname the troop had given him. “Sort of, I don’t really have time between looking after the Grand Papa and the kits.” He blushed beneath his shiny mask and Water huffed before getting to work on the black keratin, filing them short so they would not be caught out by any humans.

Aether looked at his filed nails and hummed before wiggling in the sand, “Oooooo, Water you made my nails so pretty Water.” He purred the ‘R’ of Water’s name and wiggled again making obscene noises.  
Fire laughed and moaned as well, joining in on the teasing, “Show me what other things those talented hands can do, Water.” The Ghoul screamed as water crashed over his head.  
The Water Ghoul growled, pointing his file dangerously at the two, “I’m only doing this,” Water gestured to the nail clippings and dust laying around on the pebbles and sand, “so we can all enjoy ourselves at this stupid lake, and not get fucking castrated for revealing ourselves to the god damn public.”   
Fire howled, “You little shit! You fucking know what water does to my powers!” He hissed, boiling with steam as his body fought to get rid of the invasive liquid.  
“Should’ve thought of that before you made me seem like a whore!” Water flung a hand full of nail clippings and sand at the Aether Ghoul for good measure and took pleasure in both of his victims combined disgust. Cowbell laughed, watching Air and Earth wander off into the woods before turning back to the scene in front of him. 

“You are god damn lucky we’re on power bans, because your tail would be in flames right now, wet wipe!” Fire grumbled folding his arms over his chest, small tattoos on his hands stark against a pale chest, fire licking at the palms as he fought to control himself.  
“Oh really? You can’t control it for shit and we all know it!” Aether chortled, his stomach tensing with the belly laughter as he watched Fire get even more worked up. Water’s eyes gleamed with joy at the turning of the tables towards the fiery tempered Ghoul.   
“At least you have powers, Fire.” Cowbell snickered and watched them all turn sheepish, “I’m joking, still, now you know what happens when you push Water too far.” Fire grumbled again and stood up, dusting his shorts off before stomping away towards the Sisters of Sin around the other side of the lake. Aether rolled onto his belly and reached for his bag, pulling out a lengthy rendition of a novel Cowbell had never seen before. The Ghoul opened the old pages and began to read quietly, letting Water finish filing the last of Cowbell’s nails down.

The three Ghouls sat for some time soaking up the heat from the sun. Ghouls preferred warm climates, and like cats basked in sunlight and heat whenever they could. Cowbell rolled onto his back, pushing his fingers into the hot sand, his tail wiggling beneath him happily as he soaked up the heat. Water floated in the lake a little way away from him and Aether snored next to him, wrapped in a garish orange beach towel that barely covered his torso. Cowbell opened his eyes and squinted at the Aether Ghoul before tossing his own towel over the large Ghoul’s legs. Aether grumbled and rolled onto his side. Cowbell hissed rapid loud Ghoulish out to Water. The Ghoul flapped a hand before giving a thumb up, still floating around in the cool water. The younger Ghoul stood up quietly and headed back for their cabin to change and pick up a crucial part of his plan for his holiday.

Cowbell fiddled with the bottom of his mask as he walked towards the Sisters of Sin. A gaggle of them were sat in sun loungers, parasols shading them as they painted each other’s nails and giggled. Cowbell carefully tucked his instrument into his sash with his drum stick and waved to the group of girls, trotting towards them, his hands clasped behind his back after he waved gently to them.  
“Moo! Where have you been! Fire has already come and said his hellos! I swear all you Ghouls are like shadows.” Cowbell flushed beneath his mask at the stupid nickname and thought on the fact that they could all actually turn into shadowy monsters.  
“Aether has fallen asleep. Earth and Air are out in the woods and I think Water almost drowned himself…” Cowbell winked at the girls before seating himself in the middle of them in his dark robes under the parasol. He perched on the end of a sun lounger and peered at the red nails of one of the Sisters. “I think black really suits me.” The Ghoul teasingly presented his beautifully cared for nails and wiggled them laughing. 

Cowbell chatted with the Sisters for a while and watched them expertly lacquer their nails with all the colours of the rainbow. “Do you Sisters know where the Papas are right now?”   
One chatty Sister snickered, “Papa Emeritus the Third is with his… ‘fans’. Papa Emeritus the First is out fishing I believe and The Second…I don’t believe anyone has seen him.” The Sisters all shook their heads and Cowbell nodded before standing. The Sisters voiced their displeasure.  
“Come on, Moo! Its bad enough Fire went galivanting off with the locals, not you too.” They continued to whine as he walked away waving and blowing kisses to them in the way of apologies. He spied a tree by the lake side and grinned, gripping his cowbell tightly as he shimmied up the branches and spied the eldest son slowly floating out towards him.

The First cursed as he recast his line, pulling his hat down over his forehead a little more to shield his eyes from the bright sun. The float bobbed along the top of the dark coloured water, bright red against it. Papa grumbled and recast it again as he floated towards the tree line. He reached for the paddles and angled the little rowing boat towards the bank. He’d not had a bite all afternoon and was finally bored of staring at a float. Casting it out one last time he waited and watched the float bob along the water’s surface. Two loud quacks made the old man cringe and hiss. Two large ducks swam towards the float and began to peck at the white paint, flapping their wings as they sloshed the float around.  
“Begone you foul demonic creatures!” The First reeled in his line, screaming profanities at the ducks as they quacked, almost like they were chortling, and swam away. “Stupid creatures. Always here causing problems, why on earth were they allowed onto the god damn fucking arc of Noah.” Cowbell watched the paddle boat float beneath him and held his bell out ready to strike. Papa floated beneath him and he smashed his drum stick on the cowbell next to the old man’s ear. The First jumped to the side and cursed as his boat wobbled before flipping over into the lake, dumping him and his possessions into the water. Papa resurface hissing satanic profanities as he tried to see just who had spoiled his nice afternoon on the lake. 

Cowbell gently tapped his cowbell as he strolled along the pebbled paths on the outside of the lake. His next targets were strolling in front of him, sharp suits on as they strolled, sunglasses over their mismatched eyes. The two brothers looked as though they had been plucked straight out of the Italian mafia and Cowbell snickered at the idea as he stopped his tapping and quietly snuck up behind the unsuspecting pair of anti-popes, his Cowbell poised by his shoulder to strike.  
“I don’t get why Father brought us here of all places. Pah, fool of an old man.” The Second grumbled and walked a little brisker.  
“Brother please.” The Third rolled his eyes and rotated his wrist, “This is an opportunity for us to rest and recover!” The younger brother grinned and sauntered along, waving to a couple of Sisters as they continued their walk. Cowbell grinned beneath his silver mask and slowly crept up behind the two as they stopped walking. Holding his Cowbell out he harshly slammed the drum stick on it and watched the two Papa’s jump slightly at the loud noise. 

“Cowbell! What are you doing all the way around this side of the lake? Should you not be with the other Ghouls…” Papa Emeritus III paused holding his finger up and closed his mouth, “Ignore that I know for a fact Fire has been fucking around.” He grunted, and Cowbell inched backwards, tucking his instrument into his sash as the youngest Pope continued to think.  
“Not so fast, Ghoul.” The Second’s intimidating gaze fell on Cowbell and the young Ghoul froze on the spot, swallowing thickly. “Don’t think for one second you’re going to get away with that little stunt.” He hissed and Cowbell lowered his head meekly. The cry of a flock of birds was punctuated by the screams of the two brothers as bird faeces landed on the shoulders of their fine tailored suits. They cursed and screamed at the sky before crows swooped low, screeching at them as they dive bombed the pair. Cowbell carefully snuck away, his cowbell tucked into his sash as he sprinted away from the Papas, back towards the safety of the Ghouls’ assigned cabin. Once inside he began to laugh and flopped down on his bed, placing his Cowbell by his bedside. He was sure this holiday would be the best yet.


End file.
